The amateur sleuth who searched for a body — and found one
A car wreck found at the bottom of Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota brought the search for a missing young mother, Olivia Lone Bear, to an end. But the discovery was made not by the police, but a mostly-female volunteer team of indigenous sleuths and activists led by Lissa Yellowbird-Chase.
Fighting the Vanilla Thieves of Madagascar
Demand for vanilla from Madagascar has skyrocketed in recent years, but the process of exporting the spice to markets around the world is fraught with risk, unpredictability, and — increasingly — violence.
When Cops Became Robbers
Seven of the eight members of Baltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force started robbing criminals of money, guns and drugs and violating citizens’ constitutional rights. Until they got caught.
When Political Commentary Is a Case of Life or Death
Jennifer Keishin Armstrong recalls Saddam Hussein, Silvio Berlusconi, Vladimir Putin, and Muammar Gaddafi as she explores the history of comedy as not only a relief valve but also as a formidable resistance tactic against oppressive regimes.
Why Vitamin Pills Don’t Work, and May Be Bad for You
Are you taking your vitamins? You might reconsider that.
Arms Wide Open
The story of Cristo Redentor, Rio de Janeiro’s most iconic landmark.
A Schoolboy Wrongly Accused
The account of a Ugandan teen wrongly accused of two murders, and the lawyer who cleared his name.
No Rest
After a forty-year career in broadcast news, Bill Proctor has spent his retirement investigating a brutal murder from two decades ago.
The Tragic Tale of Mt. Everest’s Most Famous Dead Body
The first in a two-part series about the bodies that remain on Mount Everest.
Who killed Alberto Nisman?
Days before he was due to release a report condemning the Argentine government, a high-profile prosecutor was found dead in his home. Was it murder or suicide?